The best sports radio stations have built their own brand with personalities, slogans and catchphrases that are unique to their audience.
For years, Barstool Sports has capitalized on their brand by successfully selling merchandise. Whatever the copyright details, legalities and startup costs are, they’ve figured it out while most sports radio brands have not. Considering all the executives employed at a major market sports station, Barstool proves that a director of merchandise would probably be more financially beneficial than most other positions.
Barstool has even capitalized on WFAN’s immense popularity in the past by selling Mike Francesa t-shirts. But WFAN is finally set to change that by launching an online store of their own, which is officially open for business.
Afternoon co-host Craig Carton teased the store for months, and the station launched its first set of branded gear in November by collaborating with FOCO to sell face masks and neck gaiters. Now, fans of The Fan will be able to purchase gear that is not only branded with the station’s logo, but also items that are unique to their talent and community of listeners.
In 2008, the radio station opened a retail store located in the JetBlue Terminal at JFK airport, but it was filled with merchandise from local sports franchises, not WFAN branded items. In their more than decade long stay, if the store did sell merchandise unique to WFAN, it was minimal.
Brandon Contes is a former reporter for BSM, now working for Awful Announcing. You can find him on Twitter @BrandonContes or reach him by email at Brandon.Contes@gmail.com.
